The point of all of this is why is Elecraft not on this list telling us
these things like they used to?
I hear lots of excuses. Sure there are supply line problems for
everyone. HRO still has lots of product. Elecraft has a big competitor
in FLEX are they having similar issues? I hear that some big box radios
have some wait times but not in the years category.
K4 investor? You have not invested in the company you are a customer
unless I missed the profit sharing version of the K4.
Most people have given them lots of slack. Why is communicating with
people that have fronted you lots of money to make this radio possible
so difficult. I don't get it.
I don't have a K4 on order either but if I did I might be concerned.
W0MU
On 3/31/2021 10:13 AM, David Herring wrote:
Further to this excellent post, Eric did say that, at that point in time, his
expectation was that the group A backlog would be cleared by end of May. I
didn’t go back through the video to find it, but I was watching one of his
presentations live and did hear that.
Another thing that Wayne mentioned in one of the meeting rooms was that at one
point Elecraft had to go back and re-design a portion of the K4 because tariffs
levied on certain parts from certain countries would have rendered the project
unaffordable.
What’s more, and I don’t recall which of them said it, but Elecraft apparently
had to deal with retirements of certain important people in the process.
Ordinarily I’d never wait 2+ years for delivery of a product I’d ordered,
perhaps many of us wouldn’t, but…
Tariffs, Retirements, The Pandemic, Employees Down With COVID, Wild Fires (and
employee loss of property), Vendor Delays…
None of that was under Elecraft’s control. Not much of that could have been
foreseen. “Stuff” happens.
That is why, I imagine, most of us K4 investors are just patiently waiting.
Content to give them the space they need to press on with addressing the issues
as they come and moving forward.
73,
David - N5DCH
On Mar 31, 2021, at 9:23 AM, Kimo Chun <[email protected]> wrote:
Presentation from the Expo.
Elecraft K4 High Performance Direct-Sampling SDR Transceiver, Eric Swartz
WA6HHQ <https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/player.html?link=NTI4MjQzNTQ1>
Perhaps more recent announcements by Elecraft have superseded this.
I realize others have already mentioned some of this. But I thought I'd go
back (for the 3rd time) to try to itemize some of Eric's statements. Note:
I don't take dictation and didn't spend a lot of time replaying it over and
over to get everything verbatim. Nor replaying the whole thing.
These are my interpretations and words. Please pardon any omissions or
errors. Go listen for yourself. The delivery time frames are based on the
Expo date: March 13, 2021.
Check minutes 17:00 to about 20:00 and around 1:22:00 on. There are other
segments.
-He discusses the supply problems they had due to COVID and how they have
now amassed an inventory of the long lead time items in the last 3 to 4
weeks. A local chassis supplier was one of the most recent hang ups. Plus
parts stuck in shipments the COVID-restricted Longshoremen haven't handled
yet. They are now smoothing things out and production will be ramping up.
Kit versions are at least 4 to 5 months out.
-They are still learning and modifying production techniques which will
make it easier to build. Then how-to documentation must be updated.
-The first day orders 16th (2019?) at Dayton, may be fulfilled soon.
-The second day orders 17th will be 3 to 4 weeks or longer after Group A is
done.
-Group B is even larger than Group A.
-Orders kept coming in all summer after Dayton and have dropped to a
consistent medium rate. Some spikes like when it was announced they started
shipping.
-When asked, "If I were to order a K4 right now, how long would I have to
wait?", he answered, "Over 3 to 4 months".
- I asked the very last question - When will the K4HD be finalized? He
said, "Conservatively... by the end of the year". So production comes
sometime thereafter. Plug in upgrades to the K4D, presumably, first for
those who ordered K4HD but took the K4D first.
- Testimonials from K4 owners would be found on the Elecraft-K4 GroupsIO
list.
Side bar: somewhere else in the presentation he said Group A
will, hopefully, be completed in the next month or so (did I get this
right? I didn't find that section). Group B (even larger) comes after that.
I haven't re-checked the definition of Group A and B sorry.
I hope this helps some of you with delivery anxiety.
73,
Kimo KH7U
(Happy with my almost new K3S s/n 11727, so the K4 is but a dream down the
road. I tend to be the opposite of bleeding edge).
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